One Quest
by Trident449
Summary: Percy leaves Camp Half-Blood after Annabeth dies and his cabin is burned to the ground. He seeks revenge on the camp he believes was the cause of Annabeth's death, but he gets quite the surprise after attacking. Cussing. Intense moments later on. R&R.
1. One Quest :: Chapter One

**Diclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

_Had he done something wrong?_

Percy's mind raced as he noticed a boy leaning in, the boy's lips almost touching Annabeth's.

Percy was angry.

Nope, that was an understatement.

He was furious.

He ran and yanked the boy back before his lips could touch Annabeth. "What's your name?" Percy growled.

"Quinton Schumaker, son of Apollo and descendant of Hermes," the boy replied smugly, sticking his hand in Percy's face, telling him to stop.

"I just got a quest, so move it, loser, so I can kiss this pretty lady," Quentin continued, stepping away from Percy and toward Annabeth.

He winked and Annabeth froze, looking up at Percy. Percy didn't look at her; his eyes were trained on the dumbass in front of him.

He fist struck out, landing squarely on the boy's face. Percy continued his assault until the boy lay on the ground, blood pouring from his presumably broken nose.

"What the fuck?" the boy questioned from the ground, holding his nose gingerly.

"That 'pretty lady' is my girlfriend, bastard," Percy replied, holding his fist above Quentin's face.

"Surprised you could get someone that pretty; you're not good-looking at all."

Before Percy could lash out again, someone's hand caught his fist. Looking down a bit, he saw Annabeth through the red in his vision.

"Stop, Percy, you're going to kill him. That's not going to sit well with Hermes and Apollo," she reprimanded.

Percy grimaced and stared at her. "You're going to defend the damn guy?" he asked angrily.

Annabeth nodded meekly. "He wanted me on his quest; I can't just say no, Percy-"

She wasn't finished and was cut off by Percy smacking her hand down.

"Save it. I get what's going on here."

He walked away.

LINE

The next few weeks were hell.

He was waiting for Annabeth to come back all the time. He loved her, he really did. Even if he had gotten mad at her for defending the son of Apollo.

She didn't come back.

He had wanted to apologize, and had even gotten a small promise ring, for after college.

Everyone said she was dead, and he blamed everyone. He sat alone in his cabin most nights, wondering if she would come back or if she really was in the Underworld with Hades.

Nico wouldn't tell him, saying his dad forbade it. Thalia was no help because Zeus had banned her from talking to the son of Poseidon, plus she was always gone with her Hunters.

So Percy was miserable everyday, every night.

Tyson came once or twice every month, trying to cheer up his older brother, but it was no use. Percy had snapped in half, one half going away with Annabeth, the other staying but nothing like the half he usually showed.

_One damn quest changed it all._

**_So, I had some inspiration. Kill me for having so many things going on at one._**

**_I'm gonna try not to start anything until I finish everything else. Maybe a few oneshots to keep people happy between updates because school just started, but that's probably it._**

**_So, don't murder me, cause the next chapter will probably be up later today, tomorrow, or anytime this week. :)_**

**_~Trident_**


	2. One Quest :: Chapter Two

_**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**_

_He was sick._

Not physically, but emotionally. Percy felt like someone had drained him of his personality and sarcasm. Nothing was there, just a hollow shell of the 'man' they called Percy.

He wanted to leave the cursed camp. He wasn't accepted there anymore. People only knew him as the former Hero of Olympus, a son of Poseidon.

Even his father had forgotten about him.

He used to be his father's favorite. Now, Poseidon barely acknowledged his existence, the existence of his most powerful son.

He just saw his cute little ten-year-old twin sisters.

Percy couldn't really stay mad at his sisters, but he was angry with his dad. He finally understood what Luke felt for so long: bitterness.

Percy was hanging on by a fraying rope, holding him ever so carefully over the edge. Each minute, however, the rope's smaller strands were snapping apart, pulling the knot looser and looser until...

He snapped.

Quentin was an idiot, by all means. He was considered the next hero, even if he couldn't heal. Even if he couldn't handle a sword correctly. Even if he couldn't run. Even if he wasn't even smart.

Percy snapped when Quentin came out of the Poseidon cabin, smiling smugly. Percy scowled at the boy in front of him and pointed to his cabin, not even bothering to talk.

Quentin smirked. "Just a little fun for later. Are your sisters out, Perce?" he replied.

Percy growled. "_Don't_ call me Perce, Quenthin," he replied snarkily, using the nickname, albeit bad one, he had developed for the stick-thin boy in front of him.

To answer Percy, Quentin pressed a blue button.

Percy's cabin exploded, magical items and wood flying in the air and across camp.

Percy blinked. Once, twice, three times, before hurling himself at Quentin.

"You piece of shit," he yelled, throwing punches at his face until Quentin was bleeding from multiple wounds across his face.

Clarisse, who had ignored him since Annabeth had disappeared, pulled him off. He stared at her before wiggling out of her grasp and kicking Quentin in the crown jewels. Hard.

Quentin grunted loudly and rolled over, holding his hands over his (probably bleeding) crotch. People went to help him as they threw dirty looks at Percy, not even seeing that Percy's cabin was completely gone.

"Be careful, punk. Don't do anything rash," Clarisse whispered in Percy's ear. Percy scowled again and pushed himself away from everyone. He stood up on a block of wood in the middle of camp. He raised his voice over the murmurs about his fight (more like a beating) of 'camp hero' Quentin.

"Demigods, hear me. The Hero of Olympus is gone, assholes. He's not on your side anymore. So when this place and Olympus falls apart, don't come crying to me with your bullshit stories on how you were wrong. "

His voice carried across the camp, and a hush fell upon the onlookers. He smiled smugly and carefully set Annabeth's Yankees cap on his head before disappearing from sight.

Water sloshed in the canoe lake before coming over the side and meeting the fire lighting the blue cabin. Extra water exploded out of the lake and onto the Hermes and Apollo cabins.

The son of Poseidon, Hero of Olympus, left everyone dumbfounded, knowing they had just made a huge mistake by unleashing a powerful force against the gods.

_They just made the biggest mistakes of their lives._


	3. One Quest :: Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

* * *

><p><em>He leaves.<em>

It's been his home for so long. It's harder than he thought it ever would be, even after fight after fight and hardship after hardship.

He thought… maybe, just maybe, they'd think they'd made a mistake. The thought was hidden, deep down in the depths of his (_Seaweed)_ brain.

Percy stayed, many a years, just below Half-Blood Hill. He stayed there, convincing demigods about to stray across the border of joining him, not the _weak_ campers.

Most didn't join him. He kept trying.

Percy kept trying, and, he finally did get one, Manny, son of Hephaestus. In a way, he reminded Percy of Beckendorf, but Manny was skinnier and more slender than the bulky, dead son of Hephaestus.

Others followed. Their names zipped together as each joined, each was appointed to do something by Percy's command.

Every once in a while, they'd attack camp and pull back, just for the satisfaction in hurting a demigod or two.

Once, Percy killed a son of Hermes unintentionally.

He spent the rest of the day puking.

Percy didn't do any of the dirty work; it was all Manny doing the commanding of deaths and who to kill. Manny was in charge of that; Percy was in charge of just leading them, keeping them alive.

His group didn't have an official name. Campers called them called the Maulers. By the group members themselves, they were simply known as Divide. Percy just called them a group.

With every passing month, their numbers grew. A powerful demigod named Acacia joined, and Percy knew who her father was: Zeus.

Sparks flew across her body constantly, illuminating her, even against the night.

Manny never let her go on night raids.

Percy knew she was the icing on the cake, as they were ready to really attack camp. He told her she made plans. Her analyzing greyish blue eyes scared him (they looked so much like _her_ eyes), but she was their best, as Athena kids never joined.

He was ready, Manny was ready, Acacia was ready, everyone was ready. They wanted to attack the camp that had killed their leaders soul.

Or so they thought.

_They attack._

* * *

><p><strong>So, short chappie. I was bored, so I wrote this piece of crap. Honestly, I'm having a severe case of writer's block, and it's killing me. I wrote a 911 fic, but I'm not sure if I should post it, with it being past 9/11 already. Maybe next year?**

**So, answer these questions in your review: **

**Acacia: Love interest, or important character?**

**Annabeth: Back, or not? If back, how?(I already have this one mapped out, I just wanna see how you think it's gonna happen.)**

**Percy: Sick, cold-hearted bastard, sarcastic and witty nothing-ever-happened personality, or really depressed?**

**Quenthin (Oops, Quentin): Really strong (stronger than how he was portrayed in Percy's mind), sort of strong, weak.**

**Gotten nicer (regrets what he did), still a bitch (oops, bastard), or indifferent?**

**~TRIDENT449**


	4. One Quest :: Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

* * *

><p><em>It hurts more than he wants to admit.<em>

His will was sapped as he approached his camp, his (ex) home. He sees all the familiar sights, sights he can't see from the bottom of the hill, and he wants to vomit.

He doesn't want to hurt this camp, yet revenge is on his mind. Maybe he doesn't want to harm his camp; maybe he just wants to harm Quenthin (Quentin).

He didn't get the chance to back out; the daughter of Zeus pushed him from behind. "Go ahead," she hissed.

"You look like a coward in front of our group."

Percy noticed he had stopped moving. His voice froze, his throat closed up. He didn't know what to say to Acacia. He stuck his arm forward, his hand near hers, his palm upturned slightly.

She looked at him quizzically. Her hand wrapped around his and a small smile graced Percy's face.

_So much like Annabeth._

_He sprints toward his 'beloved' camp._

* * *

><p>Faces, unfamiliar faces, greeted him. He looked raggedy, and many probably thought he was just a new, older demigod straggling across the borders of Camp Half-Blood.<p>

But one is not fooled.

She cocked her hand back, and, _BOOM,_ the powerful fist smashed Percy's face. Blood trickled down his face as his companions ran across the line and attacked.

Percy stepped forward, catching another fist before twisting her arm backward. With a sickening snap, her arm falls into two pieces.

Percy winced, looking down at the daughter of Ares' face, contorted in pain and anger. Her other hand reached forward, grabbing for Percy as she tried to retaliate.

Percy just moved backward and ran away.

He didn't want to hurt Clarisse. He didn't like her, but hurting an old friend… well, it hurt. His flaw was personal loyalty, after all.

He stopped at an older girl with blonde hair. She smacked him, and Percy smashed himself against her body, sending her and him flying.

He lets forward a fury of punches before pulling himself off of her and staring at her face. Blood fell down her face, her nose was swollen, and she had a black eye surrounding… grey irises.

Percy stepped back in shock. Her facial expression was filled with pain, but Percy would recognize this girl anywhere.

It was Annabeth.

_What?_

* * *

><p><em>Was it really she?<em>

Her mouth opened as he stared at her silently. She looked at his face, absolutely perplexed. She coughed and blood came shooting out of her nose.

"Annabeth…" Percy started.

She stared at him and cocked her head to the side. She studied him quietly. "I know you," she said.

"You are Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon. There are legends about you here at camp. You left this camp in ruins, Perseus. Why are you back, traitor?" she questioned.

Percy ran a hand through his hair.

_She… she doesn't remember?_

* * *

><p><strong>Oh my god, I see why Rick Riordan loves cliffhangers…<strong>

**Haha, I feel so bad for you guys. I know how you feel, but I'm swamped with work so I probably won't update… although, maybe some reviews and I'll update tomorrow…**

**Ahem, answer these questions in your review, please.**

**CLARISSE: Obstacle, friend, enemy, or ally?**

**CHIRON: Regretful, tries to repair it, indifferent, misses his young hero, or angry?**


	5. One Quest :: Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

What_ was wrong with her?_

Percy nodded slightly. "You are Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," he replied solemnly.

He pulled her up off the ground, slinging her across his back and carrying her up. She squirmed, trying to get away from Percy. "Let me go, traitor! I don't even know who you are. Why are you taking me?"

Percy's heart snapped into smaller pieces. He didn't reply.

While she pounded against his back, smacking him, and trying to fall off, Percy trudged towards the middle of Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth's Yankees cap in his one free hand.

He managed to squeeze through the full-blown war happening and stand at the point Hestia once met him.

Annabeth yelled at the campers, drawing their attention to Percy and her. The campers came after Percy, slashing and punching.

Percy, however, stuck the cap in his back pocket and pulled out Riptide. He struck out in wide arcs, making the campers stay back a few feet. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Campers! Troops!" he yelled, and his booming voice effectively stopped the fights going on in front of him.

"Campers, campers… What am I going to do with you? I told you once I would get revenge, and here it is."

He pulled Annabeth of his back. Collective gasps filled the camp. A few scramble forward, but one camper gets his finger sliced off by Manny. Everyone was too scared to step forward by then.

"You guys told me she was dead!" he exclaimed coldly, a freezing laugh coughing itself out of him, as if he hadn't laughed in a long time.

"You gave up one her, just like you gave up on me. And telling stories? That's a no-no."

For emphasis, he waggles his finger back and forth like talking to a group of five year olds.

"She _wasn't _dead. You expect me to let her stay here, after all the pain you've caused me? Don't think it'll happen, because it won't."

He smiled coldly. "If you expect someone like Quentin to lead your camp against me, I applaud you. For your efforts, not for your choice. Incredibly, I think Quentin will be severely handicapped, don't you think, Manny?"

Manny nodded and revealed the camper with his finger sliced off. In a quite surprising (_satisfying_) manner, Quentin had no index finger. His stump of a finger was bleeding profusely, but he bit back any screams that were evident in his expression.

"I expect you to come and save her. And you will. But she will not go back, not by you trying. You are _weak. _You will die the moment you step towards her to save her. So do not come, or you will regret it."

Percy slipped the Yankees cap out of his back pocket, replacing it with Riptide in pen form.

Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched together. "I know what that is," she muttered quietly, reaching for her cap.

Percy snapped it away from her and set it atop his shaggy, jet-black hair. He (_and Annabeth) _became invisible.

"Goodbye!" he boomed, and ran out of camp, his troops on his tail.

_She will remember._

**Whew! Thanks for the reviews, guys! If I get five reviews in the next two hours, I'll update today or tomorrow!**

**Answer the questions I asked you in previous chapters in your review, please!**

**~TRIDENT**


	6. One Quest :: Chapter Six

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**_

* * *

><p><em>She was pounding hard on his back.<em>

She struggled against him as Percy zipped away from camp. She was much too strong-willed to just be taken away like a princess, as Percy now remembered after years of not seeing her.

She punched him, smacked him, kicked him, and spat on him. Percy, now annoyed, grumbled and took her off his back as soon as they had reached a safe house.

"Stop fighting," he mumbled.

She jumped off him and tried running. Percy sprinted and grabbed her by the waist, swinging her downward and onto the floor.

"I said, stop," he growled.

Annabeth nodded meekly as pain shot up her spine. Her back ached after hitting the wooden floor, but she knew, for some reason, this Percy guy could kill her by slamming her down if he really wanted to.

"I will," she managed, groaning and rolling over onto her side.

Percy blinked as he noticed he had hurt her back. "Oh my gods, I-I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, pulling his hand to his face.

"So you meant to just kidnap me?"

Percy paused, silently rocking on his heels. "Yes…?"

"Idiot."

Percy's face contorted into anger. "I'm not; you're a hostage. It works well."

"You threatened to keep me. You told them I wouldn't be back. How in Hades am I a hostage?"

Percy contemplated that. She had a point.

"Shut up," he said.

"If you don't want to hurt me, then I should be fine by just talking."

"I can hurt you."

"I never said you couldn't. I said you don't want to."

"I will."

"So do it."

Percy picked her up and slammed her against the wall. Their faces were close, and Annabeth's heart had picked up the pace of an Olympic runner running a race.

However, in her moment of heart-induced confusion, he let her drop to the floor. She plopped down on her bottom. She grumbled, standing up to be eye-to-eye with her captor.

"That's all you got?"

Percy snarled in a feral-like way. He punched the wall next to her, leaving a fist-sized hole in the wall. "Fine, I won't hurt you."

Annabeth looked smug. "So I'll just be leaving…"

She zipped past Percy, but ended up smacking into a slender, dark-haired man. He was around sixteen and his amber eyes sparkled in the sunlight. The man fell back. "Who are you?" he rasped.

Annabeth had lost her footing and slipped to the ground. Percy came up to the two and let out a gentle laugh. "I see you met Manny. Manny, this is Annabeth."

Manny's eyes widened. "_The_ Annabeth? Oh my gods, I've-"

He was cut off by Percy's hand slapping across his mouth. Percy whispered something in Manny's ear as Annabeth quietly stood up.

Percy tackled her down as Manny analyzed the daughter of Athena. "I've heard so much of your stories from camp," he substituted.

"Well, I don't remember any of them," she spat at the two.

Manny nodded. "I'd heard."

Manny seemed friendly enough to Annabeth, but she still despised the man who still kept his weight on her to keep her from leaving. "Get off me, you piece of shit."

Percy slowly got off but locked his arms through hers. "You're coming with me."

He pulled her into the safe house and down a metal hallway. He pushed her into an empty room and slammed the door. She heard a clicking sound and suddenly realized she had been locked in.

She pounded against the door, yelling and screaming for them to let her out. A little slot opened and Percy's eyes peeked through. He just watched her yell and scream, and he couldn't believe she was actually there.

He kept waiting for her to vanish, but she didn't. That made Percy happier than it should have. Finally, she realized he was watching her.

"What are you doing, stalking me?" she growled.

"I'm not a princess."

"You are one to me," Percy muttered.

"What?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

Percy slammed the little slot closed, once again locking her into a soundproof room.

_He had missed her so much._

* * *

><p><strong>So, sorry for the long wait. <strong>

**I have no excuses. Just school. Hopefully, you'll be getting another one soon, as I have a long weekend (today was a half-day, tomorrow is no school, Monday no school). **

**Five reviews in the next two hours, you're guaranteed to be updated at least once more this weekend.**

**~Trident**


	7. One Quest :: Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians; Riordan, the epic cliffhanger troll, does. (Bleh, MoA, you kill me.)**

* * *

><p><em>She wanted to panic.<em>

They kept watching her like she was a specimen used for testing. Sometimes, she'd find the little slot open with eyes peeking at her. Usually, she acted asleep, but she finally blew up at someone continuing to stare at her, even after he knew she was fully awake.

"Am I some ancient fossil?" she demanded, moving her hands in incredulous gestures.

The man, terrified of her angry glare, shook his head quickly and fled, shutting the slot fast.

"Thank the gods," she muttered.

The privacy didn't last long, however, as another demigod peeked through the hole. This time, though, they were feminine eyes. Electric, stormy blue-ish grey irises followed her movement around the cold, concrete room. Annabeth thought it was like solitary confinement, only with cameras watching.

"I heard you yelled at Stan," the blue eyes said, bobbing up and down, out of Annabeth's line of view and then back, approvingly.

Annabeth huffed. "He was being weird."

The door opened and revealed a mid-sized woman, around seventeen, with long dark hair and a wicked smile. Her body seemed to glow until Annabeth realized why. Sparks flew across her lean body, illuminating her white shirt and light-colored pants. She almost reminded Annabeth of an Apollo child, but she knew it wasn't so with the sparks dancing across her.

"He's considered a pedo," the woman remarked, laughing.

"I can see why."

"Nonsense; you haven't seen him when a girl runs off into the woods to go."

The woman laughed freely as Annabeth smiled. Finally, the daughter of Athena let her smile turn to laughter.

There was a silence after the laughter ended. Annabeth could see tendrils of light filtering in through the half-open door. She formulated a plan in her head, thinking of ways to get out with the woman seemingly unsuspecting.

The woman shut the door behind her. Annabeth almost groaned. Her way out was ruined, unless….

The woman pulled her pockets out of her jeans, revealing them to be empty. "No keys," the woman promised, smirking.

Annabeth ran her hands through her tangled curls of hair. "How did you-"

"I didn't."

"Oh."

There was another silence. Annabeth didn't ask questions, which wasn't normal for a daughter of Athena.

"It was a guess," the woman finally said.

Annabeth nodded.

Again, there it was. Once one short conversation ended, it was just silence.

"I'm Acacia," the woman said, smiling and reaching out her hand.

"Annabeth."

Annabeth shook her hand before pulling it back quickly. Her hand was unusually warm, and she shocked Annabeth's hand. Again, the woman – now revealed as Acacia – laughed. "Sorry, that happens a lot. I always have to remember to be careful with any physical contact with anyone."

Annabeth rubbed her hand. "Yeah, I can see why."

Silence.

Finally, Acacia spoke again. "Percy seems to have taken an interest in you," she remarked.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. Did she detect a hint of jealousy from the calm Acacia in front of her? "Yeah, and I have no idea why. I don't even know him."

Acacia swallowed, shifting uncomfortably. "He knows you," she said.

"Really? I had no idea. I think I would know if I had met the great Perseus Jackson, biggest enemy of Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth snapped, rolling her eyes.

"You did."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't"

"You did."

"I-"

Acacia sent a spark over at her, interrupting Annabeth. Her hair stood up, charging with electricity. Annabeth yelped.

"Ow, that hurt!" she exclaimed.

"No?" Acacia replied sarcastically.

Annabeth glared at Acacia. "Well, I didn't know torturing prisoners was how honorable daughters of Zeus worked," she replied dryly.

Acacia was on her feet. "I… I am not his daughter," she said strongly.

"No, only daughters of Apollo are capable of controlling electricity, yes."

Acacia slipped out her sword. "Shut up," she said.

"Aw, just like Perseus. Like I said before, are you going to hurt me?"  
>"I can."<p>

"Didn't I just have this conversation with someone else yesterday?"

Acacia growled angrily. "You probably did."

She deflated. "Fine. I won't hurt you; _Percy's _orders."

She emphasized the Percy. To Annabeth, it meant not to call him Perseus.

"Why did he say that? Why didn't he hurt me yesterday?"  
>"You're a hostage."<br>"By the gods, I had this exact conversation yesterday. I don't believe I should have to repeat myself if Perseus has reported this to you already."  
>Acacia's shoulders hunched. "He hasn't."<p>

"Then why are you here?"  
>"By my own choice."<p>

"But I thought Percy ordered you not to hurt me."

"Yes, he ordered all of us. My visit is actually not allowed."

"Why did you come?" Annabeth repeated.

Acacia sighed. "I wanted to see what he saw in you. He used to talk about you all the time."

"_Me? _But, he doesn't even know me!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Acacia shook her head. "_He _does. _You _know him."

Finally, she stood rigid. "I've said too much already. He ordered us not to tell."

"What? Tell what?" Annabeth asked, curiosity grabbing ahold of her, showing off her Athenian nature.

Acacia stood up. "I must go. He's almost here. You know, he'll probably be visiting you a lot."

Jealousy formed her words, her tone clearly implying that she wanted his attention as well. Annabeth almost snorted; she could have it all, if he would allow Annabeth to go.

She walked to the door. "Tell him nothing of our conversation," she demanded.

Annabeth nodded. "But-"

"Nothing."

Acacia held her index finger to her lips. "Nothing of this to him, or something _will_ happen to you," she promised, her wicked grin again crossing her face.

Acacia would probably be beautiful, Annabeth thought, if she didn't look so angry and evil all the time.

Only, Annabeth had though aloud. She winced as the last word left her mouth.

Acacia turned bright red; out of anger or embarrassment, Annabeth didn't want to know. "Be quiet," Acacia hissed.

She pounded on the door and it must have been Stan, the creepy guy, who fumbled with his keys and let her out.

Just five minutes later, the door opened once again and revealed a man with jet black hair and sea green eyes.

_Perseus Jackson._

* * *

><p><strong>So, yay, another update! Do you love me, that, even with an injured wrist, I managed to write this for you guys? Now, this'll stay short because my wrist seriously hurts. :)<strong>


	8. One Quest :: Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

_He couldn't stop thinking about her._

Overnight, he had lay awake in his puny room. He had shifted and turned until sunlight filtered through his windows. Her face, her voice, her _eyes_ haunted his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, she imprinted herself against his eyelids.

He woke up and slipped into a pair of denim jeans and a blue sweatshirt. Afterward, he looked in his full-body mirror. He turned, feeling like an Aphrodite boy checking himself out. He felt so self-conscious with _her _in the building.

He let himself out of his room and walked to her room. He noticed Acacia scurrying away to the camera room where she could monitor their talk. He had instructed her to do so last night so they could make sure she wouldn't attack him.

He pushed the door open, and there she stood. She was in tattered jeans and an orange camp shirt. Her hair was tangled and her shirt was ruffled and wrinkled. Her eyes sparkled with defiance as she analyzed him and looked behind his figure at the open door. Although, he could swear her gaze lingered on him longer than it had yesterday.

In other words, she was beautiful.

He closed the door and walked forward. "Hello, Annabeth," he said coolly.

"Perseus," she replied coldly.

He shook his head. "I am Percy."

"Not like I'm going to call you that, Perseus."

Percy scowled. "You will, or else-"

"Or else what? You kill me?"

Percy stared at the ground. "Okay, I won't hurt you. I'll just keep you in here."

"Go ahead," she replied calmly, sitting down against the wall, revealing a bit of her stomach.

He paused as his eyes skittered over her body. He couldn't help himself. He licked his lips subconsciously as Annabeth looked at him in absolute disgust. "Perv," she muttered, pulling down the hem of her shirt to cover the bare skin.

Percy shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning upward in amusement. "No, you're just beautiful."

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat. She'd heard him say that before, she swore. It felt like déjà vu, having him say that. "I-I don't-"

He smiled at her and his sea green eyes sparkled, even with the little light available in the room. "Don't be uncomfortable; I didn't mean for you to be," he interrupted.

Annabeth wanted to laugh; he was being such a hypocrite. "Then give me something comfortable to sleep on," she muttered.

He opened the door and grabbed something from outside. He threw it at her face. "Oof."

She picked the object off the ground. It was fluffy and soft, like a marshmallow. The pillow was memory foam and Annabeth almost hurled it back at him for just giving it to her at her first request.

"I asked you only once for it, and you give it to me?" she inquired, lifting the pillow up.

His eyebrow lifted high. "Yes, you asked for it."

A frustrated Annabeth buried her hands in her face. "So I only had to ask and you would give it to me?"

"Yes," Percy replied swiftly, nodding.

She threw her hands in the air in defeat. "I was uncomfortable the whole night because I thought you wouldn't even dare to give it to me, and it turns out I would get it at _request_?"

Percy nodded before laughing. She ran her hands through her hair. "Can I have a brush?"

Percy threw one at her face, which she luckily caught. "A blanket? A book? A metal bar?"

He reached behind the doorway and pulled all out except for the metal bar. "The metal bar?" Annabeth repeated.

He snorted. "Yeah, like I'm going to give that to you."

Annabeth smiled. "Oh well, it was worth a try."

Comfortable silence filled the air until Annabeth spoke. "What is the reason you took me?" she asked curiously.

Percy shook his head. "I won't tell you," he replied.

Annabeth thought on that. "Well, why did Acacia say that I knew you?"

Annabeth clamped a hand over her mouth. She didn't quite like the daughter of Zeus after their conversation, but she didn't mean to throw her under the bus. She wanted to slap herself.

Percy frowned. "Acacia talked to you?"

"Y- No. I overheard her and Stan talking after Stan was watching me."

Annabeth wasn't afraid of throwing a pervert under the bus.

Percy's eyes narrowed; in jealousy or in detection of her lie, she didn't know. "Stan was… 'watching' you?" he asked, throwing air quotations around 'watching.'

Annabeth nodded. "I yelled at him."

Percy nodded. "I'm not surprised; it's in your nature."

"How do you know it's in my nature?"

Percy stiffened. "I, uh, I went to camp with you when you were there. You know, before you forgot everything."

Annabeth frowned, cocking her head to one side. "I never knew that you and I talked. No one ever told any stories about us at camp."

"We went on quests together. Multiple, actually. But we never talked outside of them," Percy replied, lying smoothly.

Annabeth didn't believe him. "We went to camp together, we went on quests together, and we _never_ talked?"

"Erm, no. We did exchange pleasantries," Percy replied, a smile creeping onto his face.

Annabeth had to try not to smile at his small try at joking around.

"Do you know a lot of things about me?" Annabeth asked.

Percy nodded. "You learn a lot about a person on quests. It shows a lot about them."

"So what do you know?"

Percy wanted to say, 'More than you know about yourself,' but he refrained. He shrugged. "I'm not sure how much I know exactly, but I do know the basics, at least."

"List them."

"Your mom is Athena. Dad is Fredrick Chase. You never liked your stepmom, even if you were secretly attached to your younger brothers, Bobby and Matthew. You looked up to a man named Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes, who was the _real_ hero of the great prophecy. You used to be with him and Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus when you were younger after you ran away. They were your family. You have ADHD and dyslexia. You hate spiders; you have arachnophobia."

Percy shrugged again. "That's pretty much all I know," he lied.

Annabeth looked him over. He knew more about her, she was sure. "You know more," she prodded.

"Not much more," he replied.

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Yes."

Percy sighed. "Listen, Annabeth, I don't know that much about you."

Annabeth finally didn't question him again. "Fine."

Percy got up from his seat on the ground and pushed his key through the keyhole. "Although, you have a nice birthmark on your back," he muttered, slamming the door behind him.

_What the Hades did that mean?_

**Yay, update! Another over one thousand word update; I've had a lot of inspiration with this weekend. **

**If there are any typos, this is my friend's fault **_**(HEY!)**_**. She typed this because of my hurt wrist (it's not that bad, it's just super sore from basketball games and practice). So thank her, please, in your review. She's the reason you got this update, or else it would've had to wait until next week. Hopefully, I can get another one up tomorrow or Wednesday. **

**~TRIDENT**

**(A NOTE FROM TRIDENT'S FRIEND):**

_**Sorry for any typos! :3 I'm not used to typing something as long as this, especially as Jax (TRIDENT) generated this solely from her mind. If I didn't get anything down, contact her and she'll fix it. She can type, she just feels as if she should be resting it for basketball instead. **_

_**(SHHHH… she doesn't know I added this)**_


	9. One Quest :: Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I do not Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

><p><em>Annabeth felt so uncomfortable.<em>

He visited her every day for the next few days, but his past comment made her blush all the way down to her neck. When had he seen her birthmark?

Supposedly, she'd done well enough to be let outside, but someone had to watch her at every moment. That 'someone' became Perseus.

She could tell that he knew a lot about her, more than he told. He always looked at her with soft, longing eyes, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do. He looked like he wanted her to do something, _anything_ that was what the old Annabeth did.

She found herself wanting to do that for him, tell him something she remembered. She didn't remember a thing from before her last quest. She fell in the River Lethe after she got pushed and Hades took her to hide her from Athena. He didn't want Athena's wrath, but finally got the nerve to tell her he was keeping her daughter after an accident. Athena had come to pick her up, but she was furious with Hades and vowed vengeance.

In all honesty, Annabeth had enjoyed her stay with Hades. He let her roam wherever she wanted and she talked to a boy there by the name of Nico. He was nice, but always held back when she asked him what was above the Underworld.

One time, he had answered with, "Him."

He had confused her for quite some time. Persephone despised Nico, but fell in love with Annabeth and taught her how to plant and garden (just as long as she didn't touch the pomegranates).

The door to her room opened and allowed her out. Perseus guided her to sunlight and grass. She stepped outside the building and grinned.

Birds chirped their songs and sunlight glittered off of puddles from rain. The sun was blinding and reflected off her blonde curls, which Percy found very hard not to stare at.

She sat in the grass and lay back, staring up at the sky. Percy finally got up the courage to sit next to her.

"W-What do you remember from… you know, before?" he asked hesitantly.

Annabeth frowned. "Nothing. I mean, I got pushed into the River Lethe, and that's all I'm sure about. That's why I don't remember anything."

She didn't know why she didn't push his question away and ignore him. She wanted to, Zeus knows she did, but he was charming and he connected her to something in her past.

"Hades said I could remember one day, but it's very unlikely. I don't exactly remember what he said, but he said it is possible for me to remember it all some point in time," she said.

"I'm just scared I'll remember it all when I'm old and withered and I'll want to come back to it all to talk to everyone I should've known," she continued, chuckling at herself.

It seemed humorous, but it was a big fear of hers. She didn't want her life to keep going without knowing what had happened in her past. It would scare the living daylights out of her if she woke up one morning with all the memories of her past life and suddenly loved another man, had another best friend, and/or was a completely different person.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, I have experience with memory loss," he said.

"You do?"

"After we defeated Kronos and won the Titan War, I was sent to the Roman camp – Camp Jupiter – and I lost all of my memories, except…"

Percy gulped. "Um, except for a close person. I eventually got it all back, though. It was just Hera messing with my memories for the war against Gaea."

"How long did it take you to get your memory back?"

"Not long, actually. I drank some gorgon blood and it came back after just a few days."

Annabeth's eyes shined with hope. Percy, however, had to crush that sliver of hope. He shook his head. "Annabeth, that won't cure your memory. I had a god messing with my memories. I didn't fall into the River Lethe."

Annabeth's eyes dimmed. She nodded solemnly and looked back up at the sky. She only stayed like that for a few moments, though. Percy cleared his throat and spoke up. "I think we should go back in. I don't want to take any chances."

She looked at him and realized she hadn't run away, though he had obviously given her the best possible scenario for doing so. She could tell he was slower than her, but her chance was gone now. Guards closed in, and Manny even appeared, steering Percy away as the guards guided her back to her small, solitary cell.

_Why hadn't she run when she had the chance?_

* * *

><p><strong>So, hooray for a lot of updates?<strong>

**My wrist is feeling better, so I typed this up myself. I actually wrote this late last night, but I didn't post it because I was really tired.**

**I have an awesome idea for this story, but I need another character. Review with an idea for a character with all it's info (needs to be a Greek demigod) and, if I find something I like, I'll use it.**

**However, I'm only accepting the description ****_if_**** you write a comment about the actual story. Like, "This chapter was great, I suggest…"**

**Not, "Awesome story."**

**See the difference?**

**Anyway, peace out,**

**TRIDENT**


	10. One Quest :: Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Heroes of Olympus.**

_Annabeth wanted to kick herself._

She couldn't believe she didn't run off. Oh, it would've been great to see everyone back at camp, everyone staring at her in awe of what she had done.

But, no, she hadn't done it. She had been to busy staring at Perseus to do so. She kept telling herself that daughters of Athena don't do that, that they are incapable of acting like an Aphrodite girl. However, she was easily lying to herself. She knew she had done it.

Later that day, Perseus entered her room again. He sat comfortably down, and just stared at her for a few moments. Annabeth immediately felt uncomfortable, and snapped at poor Perseus. "What do you want, idiot?"

Percy's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Nothing; I'm just in charge of watching you for the hour."  
>"You've never watched me before," she pointed out.<p>

Percy shrugged. "I volunteered."

There was a pause. "Then why are you in my room?"  
>Percy grinned. "Extra security," he explained before chuckling loudly.<p>

His hearty chuckle echoed off the walls, and Annabeth found herself grasping for it's sound, her heart beating faster as it continued. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Nothing."

"Then, answer my question."

"I did."

"No, you answered it because you thought that was funny."

"I was being truthful."

"Sure."

"I was!"  
>"No, I can tell. You weren't."<p>

Percy hardened. "Fine, I'll just leave."

Annabeth shrugged, but, as he got up, she decided to stop him. "Okay, okay, stop. I'm bored as Hades in here. Just, do something so I'm not dying of boredom."

Percy grinned again. "I got just the thing."

He pointed to her cup of water. "Give me it."

She was about to hand it over, but she was met with a genius idea. She leaned over, put it close to his hands, but splashed him in the face.

Percy spit water out of his mouth, and he frowned. "Thanks a lot."

Annabeth smiled. "No problem."

However, Annabeth had misjudged Percy. She knew he was a son of Poseidon, but she had almost completely forgotten his ability over water. So, when she was splashed with water and he became completely dry, she almost screamed at him. "_Perseus Jackson_," she hissed.

Percy smiled innocently. She, however, smacked him on the face and he backed away. "You'll regret that," she muttered.

Percy looked helplessly at the door, and then back at an angry Annabeth. "Please, Wise Girl, I didn't mean-"

She stiffened. "What did you call me?"

Percy's eyes widened. "Uh, Annabeth…"

Her face scrunched up, her anger momentarily forgotten. "I-I feel like you've called me that before."

Percy nodded slightly. "Yeah, I called you Wise Girl back when we were younger. You called me-"

"Seaweed Brain," she finished for him, staring up at him.

"Yeah, it was this ongoing joke between us."

"I sort of remember."

An awkward silence ensued, and then a drip of water fell on Annabeth's nose. She frowned and remembered that Percy had gotten her all wet.

She approached him and tackled him against the wall. His back hit the concrete, and he groaned. His body slipped slowly to the floor. She reached down to his pant pocket, hoping he was unconscious.

However, his hand whipped out, smashing her fingers to the floor. "Ouch!" she yelped.

He smiled, wagging his finger in front of her face. "Nope, you're not getting out."

When he pulled her hand to the concrete ground, her arm wasn't long enough to stay standing. She fell to the ground, right next to Percy.

His face was inches from hers, and he really wanted to lean in and taste her lips again, after so much time apart. He didn't get the chance to kiss her though, because she did it for him.

She leaned over and smashed her lips against his, and this moment was déjà vu, like it had happened many times before. She knew this taste, she knew it well. Whenever she had nectar or ambrosia, this was, embarrassingly, the taste she always tasted, even though she never knew what the taste even was. Now, she knew.

She pulled away, and his eyes were almost glazed over in pleasure. He looked down at her and a huge smile spread across his face. "What's wrong, Wise Girl?"

She frowned. "W-We've kissed before, haven't we?"

_She was afraid._

**Wheee! Sorry for the long time between updates, guys. I've been busy, so hopefully this Percabeth moment makes up for it.**

**~TRIDENT**


	11. One Quest :: Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

><p><em>Percy wasn't sure what to say.<em>

He was speechless for a moment, just lying there. His mind raced with thoughts, _lies_ he could tell her. But, with her glancing down at him like that with her analyzing, beautiful grey eyes, he knew he couldn't lie. He couldn't lie, not after just kissing her for the first time in years.

"Yeah, we have," he admitted hesitantly.

Her frown grew deeper. "W-why didn't you tell me?"

Percy sighed, propping himself up on his elbows. "I couldn't, Annabeth. I didn't think you'd appreciate me messing with your mind when you don't remember a thing."

"So you lied to me when I asked you what you knew about me?"

Percy closed his eyes and faced the ceiling. "Listen, I know you're probably mad, but I was honestly afraid that you wouldn't believe me or that you'd take advantage of me to get out."

Annabeth stood up, staring down at Percy. "You lied."

Percy nodded slowly. "Yeah, but only-"

Annabeth shook her head quickly, stopping Percy momentarily from talking. "Messing with my mind, Perseus?"

Percy flinched at her use of his real name. "Annabeth-"

"If anything, what you told me, your lie, is what is 'messing with my mind.' It doesn't help that you lied to me; it's worse, because if I ever get my memories back, I will have two contradicting memories."

Percy winced. He got up and grabbed Annabeth's shoulders. "Annabeth, I thought it would be better if I didn't mess with your feelings."

She hesitated. She finally ripped herself out of his grasp and shoved him away from her. "I wish I knew what the old me saw in you," she sneered.

Percy's facial expression hardened and he took a step closer to her. "I saved your life," he reasoned.

"I think that's all, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Percy growled.

"If you can't think of anything else…"

"I listened."

Annabeth stopped in her tracks. Percy stared at her coldly. "I listened. Gods, Annabeth, I listened to you talk about your family and architecture. I offered advice, even if I couldn't do the same for myself. I tried to make your life easier. I tried to help, to listen, to _love_ you as much as I could. I always wished you were never a demigod, even if I would've never met you, because your life would've been way better without this _stupid_ world _we_ have to go through."

Percy ran his fingers through his shaggy hair. "Annabeth, I was always there for you. You've got to believe that. This scar, the scar on my arm, this is from Atlas. I came there to save you from the burden of the sky."

He pointed to the fading grey streak in his hair. "_This_ is for taking the burden of the sky to save you."

He turned around. He lifted up the back of his shirt and revealed charred skin in the small of his back, both from the telekhines in the Labyrinth and losing the curse of Achilles. "This is from getting burned with lava and the curse of Achilles."

He turned back around and held his arms out to an open-mouthed Annabeth. "I have _always_ been there for you."

She hesitated. Finally, though, she sprang forward, encasing him in her arms. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

A grin spread through Percy's face. "What was that?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she repeated loudly.

He cupped his hand around his ear. "What?"

"Shut up, Perseus."

He shrugged and laughed. "Oh well, a guy can try."

"What I meant to say was, shut up and kiss me."

"That'll work."

He leaned forward and his lips met hers. However, the door subsequently opened, revealing a light figure.

"Percy?" it gasped, and Percy pulled away from Annabeth to study the figure.

He cocked his head and frowned, his sea green eyes examining the figure, much like Annabeth's grey eyes examined everything.

"Acacia?"

* * *

><p><strong>Woot! Percabeth moments galore! Percabeth lovers, you owe me. Big time. I wasn't planning on having Percabeth until later on in the story, but you guys were all, "GIVE US PERCABETH OR YOU DIE." Literally, someone sent me that, haha.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter,**

**Peace out,**

**~TRIDENT**


	12. One Quest :: Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

><p><em>Acacia didn't know how to react.<em>

All this time, she had developed feelings for the sarcastic son of Poseidon. He was quirky, but always with a hint of sadness. Sadness always coated his actions or words, and he was resentful of the camp for _her._

Acacia had always felt jealous of her. Maybe she had known Percy longer, yes, but she wasn't there anymore. She always thought maybe, just maybe, she could squeeze open Percy's cold, shriveled, black heart and lodge herself right in the middle.

She was wrong.

Percy never pushed Annabeth's memory away. His heart was untouchable and uncaring. He was strict, cold, and angry most of the time. She never wormed her way into his beating, red organ, but she had always tried.

Now, here she was, watching Percy, a guy she had liked for some time, kiss his ex-girlfriend.

Technically, they had never broken up, but Acacia had always thought since she died, they weren't together anymore. Turns out, she never died, and Percy was still very much in love with this girl. He loved a girl with no memory, no recollections of their life together.

She tried masking her pain, but she visibly winced. Finally, she growled softly. "Percy, stop taking advantage of the prisoner," Acacia barked.

She pushed all of her feelings down. She covered it with an amused smile, and a quick glace at Annabeth. Annabeth's face was bright red from a blush. Her cheeks was rosy, her neck continued the same color. It seemed as if her red blush ranged from her scalp to her chest.

Percy pulled away from his embrace with Annabeth and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um…" was his intelligent response.

Annabeth coughed. Percy looked at her like she was an alien for a moment, and then his mind seemed to snap back into it. "We were just talking," he replied smoothly.

Annabeth smacked her forehead. "Gods, Perseus. She saw us."

Acacia almost told Annabeth not to call Percy 'Perseus,' but she thought better of it. She would seem too bitchy, which was not what she wanted to come across as. "Yeah, Percy, I have eyes, you know."

Percy blushed. "Um, yeah."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Acacia did the same, and Percy couldn't help but think they would probably be good friends if this weren't the instance in which they had met.

Acacia finally motioned for Percy to leave. "Shift's over."

Percy cocked his head. "We don't have shifts."

Acacia nodded impatiently. "I'm not going to let you get half an hour of sleep, so you either sleep, or no more of the prisoner for the rest of the day."

Percy sighed, defeated. His eyes seemed to fully realize the true amount of sleep he had gotten, and his eyelids grew heavier. He heaved a breath, and then leaned over and pecked Annabeth on the cheek. "See you later, Wise Girl."

Annabeth smiled softly, tucking a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "See you," she replied.

After a moment's hesitation, the rest of the sentence followed. "Seaweed Brain."

It was a comfortable feeling, a feeling she knew she had felt before. The sound, that feeling of the words rolling off her tongue in that sequence. She knew she had said that a million times.

Percy began to smile. He turned away with a smile stretched across his face, from ear to ear.

Acacia's innocent poker face immediately turned to a scowl. She turned to Annabeth and nearly attacked her. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

Annabeth was taken aback. "What am I doing? He told me we used to be something, and I believed him."

"You are taking advantage of him, I know it. You're going to play with his emotions and get him to let you go. He's going to do that, I know, 'cause he's a nice guy. You're gonna run away, you're gonna leave him to sort out the feelings he had for you and your fake feelings for him," Acacia ranted, pushing a fingertip against Annabeth's chest.

Annabeth snapped. Acacia's words of running away pulled Annabeth's strings; pulled them so hard Annabeth grabbed Acacia's shoulders and slammed them against the concrete wall. "I do not run away from my problems," she said confidently.

Acacia snorted. "Yeah, well, that's not what Percy told me," she replied, pushing Annabeth's grip off of her shoulders.

Annabeth's arms fell to the side. "What did Percy tell you?" she growled.

She remembered why it pulled at her emotions now. Percy had told her she had run away from home, from her family problems. Images of her receiving a knife flashed through her mind, but the image and the memory along with it disappeared quickly.

"You ran away from home. You ran away from your problems," Acacia sneered.

Annabeth punched Acacia in the face. Acacia rubbed her jaw, but snickered. "Is that all you've got? Too bad I can't hurt you."

Annabeth's grey eyes flared in anger. She lashed out, grabbing Acacia's head by her ears and bringing it down to her right knee. Annabeth could hear a crack and a grinding noise. Acacia groaned and looked up.

Thick, red blood flowed freely from her distorted nose. Acacia made a sound that was a mix between a yelp and a laugh. "I can't defend myself, or you get hurt. Percy's not gonna like that. So go ahead, keep trying," Acacia managed to say.

Annabeth brought her foot up to Acacia's eye, and Acacia stumbled back a few inches. Acacia's eyes widened as she blinked away tears forming. She wasn't crying because she was hurt; she was crying because of dust and dirt that had been on Annabeth's hand. Annabeth's hand was dirty and grimy, and her eyes tried to blink away the intruders.

However, the dust flew up and tickled Acacia's nose. She shook her head quickly to try to stop it. She knew if she grasped the bridge of her nose to stop it, she'd be stuck with a zap of pain.

Acacia sneezed, and the blood flew across to Annabeth's face. Acacia sneezed again, and Annabeth was covered in Acacia's blood.

"Bless you," Annabeth muttered, pulling away the blood from her face with her hands.

Acacia glared at her, but approached the door. She opened it, then looked back at the blood-covered Annabeth. "I don't think Percy would like a prisoner beating me up," she said, almost as if she was thinking out loud.

Annabeth hissed, but Acacia just smiled innocently. "What? Did I say that out loud?"

Annabeth spit at Acacia. Acacia frowned. "Oh well."

She smiled again, and left the room.

_Annabeth was stuck in a 'sticky' situation._

* * *

><p><strong>Woot! 1117 words this chapter in actual writing. Hope you guys liked the pun at the end; I had this idea from the start, and it seemed to fit well. :)<strong>

**~TRIDENT**


	13. One Quest :: Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO/HoO.**

* * *

><p><em>Percy took a nap.<em>

It certainly wasn't a long nap. He had been asleep for, at most, twenty minutes, as Acacia barged into his room, caked in blood.

She shoved him out of bed and he groaned. "Wake up," she muttered.

"I dun want to," he managed sleepily.

Something wet fell on Percy's back, and he sat up quickly. He knew what water felt like, and that certainly wasn't water. It was a thick liquid that dripped off of Acacia and down his back. For a moment, Percy thought Acacia was drooling over his 'totally hot body,' as he would put it, but the moment was over quickly as soon as he looked up saw Acacia.

"What happened?" he asked, propping himself up against his pillows.

"Your prisoner happened," she growled back, covering her nose with her hand.

"Lemme see."

He gently tugged her hand away from her nose, and what he saw was gruesome, to say the least. Her nose looked completely deformed, from what he could tell. Her entire face was caked in dark red blood, and tiny little bones stuck out from the area around her nose. Her eyes seemed to bulge unnaturally, and her eye twitched every so often, as if something was bothering it.

Suddenly, she looked away, and Percy's noticed a long strand of blood shoot out of her nose and across the room. He scrunched up his nose and winced.

"What exactly happened?" he asked cautiously.

Acacia glared at him, but told him what had happened in the chamber with Annabeth, albeit with a few lies and twisting of the facts.

"-and she just punched me, out of nowhere, and told me not to touch you!" Acacia ranted.

Percy silently got up and headed to his bathroom, where he wet a washcloth and gave it to Acacia. "Here. Head to the Apollo wing; it's in the building next to us, if you can remember where it is after being hit on the head so many times."

In truth, Percy didn't believe much of what Acacia had said. Annabeth was the jealous type, but she wouldn't attack without being provoked previously. As Acacia left after glaring at him for almost a full minute, he got up and pulled a tight-fitting sweatshirt over his chest.

He jogged over to Annabeth's chambers and pulled the door open. Annabeth was, surprisingly, covered in blood as well. "What in Hades happened to you two?" he exclaimed incredulously.

Annabeth cracked a small smile. "I'm in quite the sticky situation, aren't I?"

Percy looked at her in disbelief. "What happened?" he repeated.

"Didn't Acacia tell you?" Annabeth spat.

"Well, yeah, but I think she was lying at some points."

"I guess I'll tell you my side of the story."

Annabeth told Percy exactly what had happened, even the encounter she had with Acacia before the latest one. Percy paced the floor of her chamber, from wall to wall. Finally, he stopped, placing a finger on his chin. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if you're up to it."

Annabeth nodded. "What is it?"

Percy looked at Annabeth for a second longingly, and then looked away. "We could get away from this easily," he started cautiously.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Hurry up! I still need to get this stuff off," she exclaimed.

"Well, maybe we could try and get your memory back-"

"What? How?"

"I was getting to that, now just let me-"

"When can we leave?"

"By the gods, Annabeth, you'd think an Athena child-"

"Continue."

Percy grunted. "Well, you fell into the River Lethe, right?"

"Yes."

"And Lethe is the goddess of forgetfulness, right?"

"Si."

Percy looked at her weirdly, and then continued. "And she's also ruler of the River Lethe-"

Annabeth jumped up. "We go and visit her and see if she can restore my memories!"

Percy nodded, exasperated. "Yes, yes.

"I'm surprised I didn't have this idea."

"You did forget a lot of things…"

She smacked his head. "Idiot. That doesn't mean I shouldn't have thought of that."

Percy shrugged. "I dunno, I think it sort of justifies that."

Annabeth paused for a few minutes. Silence filled the air, and she finally snapped her fingers loudly. "Yes, I remember something about that. Lethe is only the goddess of forgetfulness. Would she really be able to _restore_ memories?"

Percy stopped for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure about that. But we can at least try and see. Doesn't hurt to try."

Annabeth nodded. "When do we leave?"

Percy shrugged again. "I think it's best you get cleaned up and, um, everything. We'll leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah, as long as I can get Acacia's blood off of me."

Percy frowned. "You know, she's probably seriously hurt."

Annabeth's eyebrows rose. "And you think that's going to kill a demigod daughter of Zeus? Come on, Percy, we've both survived way worse than that, and I know that without even having a full memory."

Percy nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess demigods have a high tolerance for pain."

Annabeth smiled. "I'll see you, I gotta go get cleaned up. Are you going to escort me?" she asked.

Percy grinned. "Sure, as long as I get to be the crisp gentleman."

Annabeth laughed. "Sure, Seaweed Brain."

He stuck out his arm, and she looped her hand through his elbow. He led her to the Apollo wing, and made sure she wasn't anywhere close to Acacia.

_Meanwhile, Acacia planned revenge._


	14. One Quest :: Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.**

* * *

><p><em>Acacia was angry<em>.

That was certainly to say the least. With her nose set back into place, the Apollo wing had advised her to wear a nose guard to ensure it wouldn't be broken again. Acacia, who now knew the pain of setting a broken nose back into place, vowed to try not to break it again.

With a sigh, she dragged herself across her room to her door. As the morning sun shined ever so brightly in her eyes from her window, she pulled open her door as footsteps echoed across the hall. A loud yawn escaped the confines of her mouth, and two people sneaking along the hallway stopped her mid-yawn.

"Percy, Annabeth!" she called.

Percy looked back at her and glared, and Acacia noticed most demigods were still asleep. She smacked her face. "Oh, gods, I forgot."

She smiled, but then remembered who was standing next to him. "Annabeth," she acknowledged in a whisper.

Annabeth nodded. "How's your nose?" she asked, straight-faced.

Acacia scowled. "Fine."

A pause filled the air, but Percy cleared his throat. "Um, we gotta get going-"

"Where?"

Percy looked wearily at Annabeth, but she shrugged in reply. "We're going to try and get Annabeth's memories back."

Acacia's heart stopped for a moment, and a vision of her life with only Percy emerged from her mind. Marriage, children… and then, a cruel laugh. "This was to show you what's _not_ going to happen, honey," said a sickly sweet voice.

"Fine, go. I got your back. I'll help you out."

Percy looked surprised, as did Annabeth. "Wait, what?"

"I said I'd help you out. I want Annabeth out as much as the next person, and, if that happens to mean you're going, too, then I think I'll be fine."

Percy grinned. "Thank you, Acacia," he said seriously. "It means a lot."

Annabeth nodded. "I guess I should apologize-"

"Please, no. I don't need to get an apology from the likes of _you_. I'm doing this for Percy, not you," Acacia sneered.

Percy rolled his eyes, and Annabeth just laughed. "Obviously, you're also doing this for me."

Acacia snapped her fingers. "Oh! I just remembered! I have total control over both of you because I can tell everyone that you're leaving! Oh, everyone will have _so much fun_ looking for their leader, huh?"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to retort, but Percy clamped a hand over her mouth. "Well, thanks, we'll be leaving…"

Percy and Annabeth scurried out of the building, leaving Acacia against the wall of the long, twisting hallway. She put her face into her hands and slid down the wall. It was cruel fate that she had fallen in love with someone taken, Aphrodite's will. With Aphrodite whispering in her ear, the beautiful love goddess had increased her jealousy, given her the _absolutely perfect _soap opera solution.

And Acacia had listened.

She labeled herself as an idiot, since she knew Aphrodite loved drama and traumatic love stories. In what time was Aphrodite ever _not_ manipulative? Hers and Percy's relationship was zero, zip, nada, nothing. It never was anything. It would never amount to anything.

Angrily, Acacia punched the wall. The concrete started to crumble and Acacia stared uncertainly at the wall. It was covered in a dark, sticky material. Acacia ran her hand along the wall. She pushed her hand through the wall and felt just a sticky material instead of concrete. She pulled her hand back and stared at the blood covering her arm.

"What in Hades-"

Tentacles of blood shot out and grabbed her arms. She screamed, trying to pull herself out of its grasp. It wrapped tightly around her body, sticking her tightly to the wall. Her mouth and nose were forced against the wall and she couldn't breathe. The tentacles suffocated her ribs, crushing until a sickening crunch was heard.

The tentacles let go and her body slumped to the floor, covered in blood. She gingerly touched her chest and stared up at the heavens before her eyes glazed over.

The blood turned back to concrete and a hysterical laugh echoed throughout the building. The sound was loud enough to make certain parts of the building begin to falter. Cracks appeared in the ceiling before concrete blocks fell down on top of Acacia's lifeless body.

_Luckily, Percy and Annabeth had gotten out._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, guys, here it is: an update! <strong>

**I am so sorry for the long wait, to whomever is reading this. Hopefully, you like this chapter. And, yes, Acacia was actually killed there. No coming back. Sorry, folks.**

**I have winter break now, so hopefully I'll be writing a lot more. I hope I update more often for you guys.**

**-Trident**


End file.
